Old Ground Inn, Ramsbottom blue plaque

This blue commemorative plaque records: Old Ground Inn c1861. This beerhouse, purpose-built with a cellar and wide ornate doorway, was named after the large calico printing complex which, from 1783 to 1822, occupied what later became Ramsbottom town centre. By 1890, there were 26 public houses within 10 minutes walk of here. Most closed, as drinking reduced nationally: this beerhouse shut in 1912, when takings were just £6 weekly. There was a large Irish Nationalist presence in Ramsbottom, and a United Irish League Club occupied the building from 1913, part of a national campaign for Home Rule in Ireland. Recorded plaque organisation: Ramsbottom Heritage Society.

The Old Ground Inn, built around 1861, served as a significant local establishment during Ramsbottom's industrial boom, later becoming a hub for Irish Nationalists advocating for Home Rule. Its closure in 1912 reflected the broader national trend of declining pub attendance, before it was taken over by the United Irish League Club in 1913.